I'm a very logical thinker. I have to be able to rationalize what I do. And, trying to rationalize doing these things, is really taking a toll on my spirit. And, I know that, even to people who agree with me, I often come off looking like an asshole, even when I've won an argument. I often come off feeling that way, too.
I spend most of my online arguing time swatting down straw men, red herrings, and other logical fallacies. These things are horribly frustrating, especially in the modern communication era of short posts on social networking sites. These things pretty much prevent meaningful discussion from taking place. I've known for a long time that people who use these deceptive devices aren't the kind of people who are going to have their mind changed by a guy shooting down their arguments on the internet. I tell myself that I do it, not to convince that person, but to show others who may be reading that lies and distortions should not be tolerated, or to give voice to others who agree but are hesitant to speak up. I think it would be wonderful if everyone spoke up and did this from time to time. But, for me, it seems to be a compulsion.
When I hear something that is a lie, or a distortion, or even an exaggeration, especially if it's being done in service of some unfair or unjust person/place/thing/agenda, I get a strong feeling of uneasiness. I have a very hard time accepting that someone, really anyone, would believe something that is demonstrably inaccurate.
I know that this is affecting my blood pressure. And, I know that it affects the opinions of people who don't know me well. I'm a better person than a bully beating down someone with a misinformed opinion. But, I still believe that it's exactly these kinds of misinformed opinions that give enough confusion to split opinion on issues that facts could easily clear up. I think that we should all demand a little more truth in discussions of issues that are very important.
But, I'm not going to demand that truth from some random person who happens to have responded to one of my friends' comments on Facebook anymore. I'll still politely encourage my own personal friends to seek truth on big issues. But, I've had enough arguing with strangers. I feel like the right wing voters of this country have gone so extreme that I don't really need to point out the failures of their laughable arguments most of the time.
I still care a lot about politics, though. So, I'm going to use this blog to share my opinions with my friends. And, I'm going to use Facebook and other social networking, to make friends, network socially, support my friends' shit, promote my shit, and share photos with friends. If you want to know what's got my blood boiling, come here and read my blog.
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